Happy Easter!

We had an awesome Easter this year! After church, we all went over to my parent's house where the Easter Bunny usually visits and leaves us a fun basket of goodies. James doesn't really like chocolate so the Easter Bunny made sure to leave him some gummy bears... his favorite treat in the world! The Easter Bunny also knows that I love Cadbury Cream Eggs so he left me plenty of those in our basket too! Somebody must have told the Easter Bunny that we're hoping to adopt because he even left some things for the baby in our basket - a darling picture frame and a stuffed bunny that smells like chocolate!

After we checked out the goods from our basket, James and I were put in charge of hiding all of the eggs for the annual hunt! We hid over 80 eggs in my parents backyard and when my nephews arrived, they couldn't wait to begin exploring!

Little Taylor had a ball trying to find all of the eggs and his brothers even helped him out once they had found plenty for themselves!

After the egg hunt, we had a yummy Easter dinner together!

Marriage & My Prince Charming

I've been thinking a lot lately about how lucky that I am to have such an amazing man as my husband. He is my best friend in the world and I love him more every day. He works so hard to provide for me and our future family and I want him to know how proud I am of him. He is a symbol of strength to so many and I adore his ability to brighten those around him. All of his friends know that he is a genuinely happy person and others can't help but be happy when they are around him. He is so sweet to me and I feel blessed to have him in my life. He is a great example of what a man should be and I know that our children will have a strong role model and a hero to look up to.

When it comes to marriage, I really believe that our relationship is unique. We honestly rarely argue and when we do, we talk it through immediately and we never bottle things up. We have mastered the art of communication and we believe it is the key to a successful marriage. We've been married for 6 1/2 years and we have enjoyed every moment of it. I think that one of the biggest demons that a marriage can have is personal insecurity. It is so easy when you are insecure with yourself, to attack others as a defense mechanism. I've witnessed other marriages where the husband and wife send little digs toward each other. These "digs" may be masked with an air of humor, but it would be impossible for them to not feel hurt deep down inside. This leads to another reason why I love my James so much. Those of you that know me, know that I am not what society would call beautiful... I'm a bit too "fluffy" for that title! I've been insecure my whole life - until I met James. He makes me feel like I am the most beautiful person on the earth and because of this, I am learning to love who I am regardless of the way I look to others. I may still feel insecure when I'm in social settings and I am hyper-aware that the size of my jeans is twice the size as others, but as soon as I walk through the doors of our home, that insecurity melts away and I know that I am loved for who I am.

As most of you know, we have been facing a huge trial in our marriage. Infertility (or the iMonster as our adoption peeps have named it) is a terrifying and devastating thing for a couple to experience. We've heard stories about couples that have faced infertility and that it has destroyed their relationship. James and I are completely opposite from that. Through our tough times, we've relied so heavily on each other and together we have leaned on Heavenly Father to help us through our struggles. In the April issue of Ensign magazine, there is an article about Infertility that is incredible. Click HERE if you want to check it out. There was one passage in the article that was really inspiring so I want to share it. It said:

"When someone has an ailment or an illness and they are healed as the result of a blessing, their faith is being strengthened. But for those who aren't healed but continue faithful, their faith is being perfected. The first is a faith-promoting experience. The second is faith-perfecting."

I know that our faith is being perfected through this process because instead of bitterness, anger, and resentment, we've grown more in love and understanding and we have built such a strong foundation. In last weekend's General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott said:

"It is so rewarding to be married. Marriage is wonderful. In time you begin to think alike and have the same ideas and impressions. You have times when you are extremely happy, times of testing, and times of trial, but the Lord guides you through all of those growth experiences together."

I KNOW our marriage can withstand any trials thrown at us! I love you James and I can't wait to spend eternity with you!

Adoptive Couples Retreat

A few weeks ago we went to the 2nd Annual Adoptive Couples Retreat. It was a BLAST! We went with our cute friends Courtney & Jenn that we serve with on the FSA board. The event started out with a mingle to meet other adoptive couples and then we went and played games with Cort & Jenn in their hotel room until the wee hours of the morning. Pictured above is me and Jenn and the cute little tyke with James in the pic below is Cooper - Cort and Jenn will finalize their adoption of this adorable little guy in a few weeks and we're so excited for them!

The second day of the retreat was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! Jessalyn (the beauty queen between Jenn and me in the picture below) is such an awesome girl. She is a birthmom who knows firsthand the incredible blessings of adoption. She organized the entire event and we feel super blessed to have her as our new friend. We can't wait for the retreat next year!